Ayesha McGowan (she/they) is the first African-American female professional road racer. After racing in the UCI women’s world tour for Liv Racing TeqFind in Europe for three years, she is taking a break to focus on other programming.

@ayesuppose is extremely passionate about creating representation in cycling that will encourage and inspire other African-American women and youth to follow their dreams whatever they may be.

Ayesha has appeared in various publications such as the Washington Post, CNN, and the BBC. She has notable covers on Outside Magazine and Bicycling Magazine. Ayesha has also been featured in major promotional campaigns for Nike, Oakley, Ford Bronco, Liv Cycling, and SRAM.

Ayesha is a former committee member of the USA Cycling DEI Committee and currently sits on the board of the transportation advocacy not-for-profit, Rails-To-Trails.

In addition to presenting several workshops on authentic representation for people of color, Ayesha has delivered powerful keynote speeches at conferences around the United States.

Join us at Grit Fest this year to make sure you don’t miss this incredible keynote speaker!